Matt Bowen

There is plenty to discover about the Bears as they prepare to embark on their 14th summer training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. Tribune special contributor Matt Bowen sat down for 10 questions about what he expects from new coach John Fox and the re-tooled team. Has John Fox set tempo for this team already or is that something that really takes place in training camp? "Any new coach is going to establish the culture and tempo during (organized team activities) and minicamp, offseason strength and conditioning workouts. But you really build a new team under a new coach when you put pads on. I expect this will be one of the most physical camps the Bears have...

Related "Matt Bowen" Articles

As the Ravens (6-4) prepare to play the New Orleans Saints (4-6) on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, here's Baltimore Sun reporter Aaron Wilson’s checklist of things to watch:
1. What’s the plan against Jimmy Graham?
The Cincinnati...

Standing calmly in the pocket with time to scan the field, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had an inviting view of the Ravens' secondary last Sunday.
From his vantage point, Roethlisberger easily saw the holes in a defensive...

The Ravens had hoped top cornerback Jimmy Smith would miss a few weeks and return after their bye week to solidify a struggling secondary.
Now, they’ll have to make their playoff push without him, a damaging blow to a team trying to climb out of last...

Across his upper back, Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams has a tattoo of his last name that stretches wide enough to resemble the nameplate on his No. 98 jersey.
But because of his large biceps, barrel chest and stocky lower body, and because of how he...

In a frenetic era of football where the hurry-up offense tends to be all the rage, the Ravens have adopted more of an old-school approach.
The Ravens haven't entirely scrapped the no-huddle offense under new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, but it's...

The free-agent departure of Arthur Jones in March had an immediate effect on the Ravens' locker room, where the defensive tackle regularly held court and displayed his boisterous, friendly personality.
One of the team's most popular players, Jones...

Standing in front of his locker Thursday, Ravens veteran wide receiver Steve Smith was already displaying signs of intensity and his trademark no-nonsense attitude.
Smith wasn't in a chatty mood and was starting his focus days before his first...

In less than two weeks, the Ravens' secondary will be tasked with covering the Cincinnati Bengals' multidimensional receiving corps, headlined by Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green.
The Ravens are crossing their fingers that their top cornerbacks will...

Joint practices, which the Ravens and San Francisco 49ers will participate in from Saturday through Monday at the Under Armour Performance Center, have become more popular since the new collective bargaining agreement went into effect in 2011.
With no...

For three days, the Ravens will cede most of their first-floor meeting space at the Under Armour Performance Center to the San Francisco 49ers, the team they beat in Super Bowl XLVII 18 months ago.
The teams will share a gym, showers, dining space and...

The education of Ravens rookie free safety Matt Elam is approaching a pivotal early phase, a moment he intends to be ready for.
The first-round draft pick already knows what's heading his way Sunday against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium....

There is plenty to discover about the Bears as they prepare to embark on their 14th summer training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais.
Tribune special contributor Matt Bowen sat down for 10 questions about what he expects from new coach...

The Bears new-look defense took the field for minicamp last week at Halas Hall with a barrage of blitzes, multiple fronts and different sub-package personnel.
This stuff is creative, it's cool and it's something this city hasn't seen for more than a...

The numbers generated from the NFL scouting combine don't tell the entire story on prospects, but the testing in Indianapolis is still a major part of the grading process for the NFL draft.
Set in a controlled football environment inside Lucas Oil...

Fifteen extra minutes in the cold tub Monday morning. Maybe 20. Slowly get in and let that ice water crawl up to your neck. Just try to find some relief for a beaten-down, worn-out body.
The day before? Man, downhill collisions in the hole that felt like...

With the ball in the red zone, quarterback Jay Cutler and the Bears can use the pick route to create a one-on-one situation for running back Matt Forte on the quick rail concept versus the Vikings man-coverage scheme.
As shown here, the Bears have...

Calvin Johnson once again can go to work on the Bears secondary if Mel Tucker's defense fails to identify the pre-snap alignment of the Lions wide receiver and the route concept designed to beat the top of the Cover-3 defense.
As shown here, the Lions...

When the wheels start to come off the team bus in an NFL season, the good teams make corrections, fix the problem and continue to buy into the coach despite signs of adversity.
He is the most important guy in the building, the boss who manages the team...

The Bears should prepare for the Saints defense Monday night to send pressure in passing situations with Rob Ryan's unit disguising coverages in the secondary to set some traps for quarterback Jay Cutler.
As shown here, the Bears have their Posse/11...

The Bears can lean on their core Cover-2 and Cover-3 coverages versus Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on Sunday at Soldier Field. However, the ability of Mel Tucker's defense to dress up sub-package pressure is key to getting off the field on third downs...